Chelsea close in on Morata

Chelsea have confirmed that have agreed a deal for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata. Antonio Conte had been chasing a new frontman to replace Diego Costa, who looks set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer. After being beaten to the signing of Romelu Lukaku by Manchester United, the Blues had been forced to look elsewhere with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Andrea Belotti and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all being touted as potential targets.

However in a strange turn of events, they now look to be closing in on the signing of the 24-year-old Spaniard who had previously looked as though he would be joining Manchester United. Morata was believed to be Jose Mourinho's number one choice to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic as United's number nine this summer at a stage when it also looked as though Romelu Lukaku was going back to Chelsea. Things however changed when United stole Lukaku from under the noses of Chelsea and signed the Everton striker in a £75 million deal. Subsequently, Antonio Conte now appears to have turned his attention to the player that spent two years at Conte's former club Juventus.

Manchester United had reportedly grown frustrated in their attempts to sign Morata, with Real Madrid digging in over their asking price. Chelsea have seemingly however had more luck in their negotiations with the Spanish champions, agreeing a deal worth an initial £60 million. The Spain international scored 20 goals in all competitions for Real last season as the club won both La Liga and the Champions League, though most of his appearances came from off the bench. At Stamford Bridge however he is likely to get a starting role with Diego Costa approaching ever closer to the exit door. The Blues' top scorer from last season has had a well publicised fall out with Antonio Conte and has been left out of the club's pre-season tour as he continues to be linked with a move back to Atletico Madrid.

Morata will become Chelsea's fourth major signing this summer, with the club having already sealed deals for Willy Caballero, Roma defender Antonio Rudiger and Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco. It's been a solid summer of spending from the Blues thus far and the Premier League champions look to have strengthened well ahead of their title defence and upcoming Champions League campaign.

If as expected, the deal is concluded then Morata could be in line to earn approximately £150,000 per week at Stamford Bridge. This would see him as one of the higher earners in the Chelsea squad but still some way short of the £200,000 per week that Eden Hazard picks up. It would also be less than the £185,000 that Diego Costa currently takes home but one can't imagine he's going to be on the Chelsea books for an awful lot longer anyway.

Walker becomes World's most expensive defender

Kyle Walker has become the joint-most expensive defender in World football after making the move to Manchester City. The England international right-back moves to the Etihad from Spurs in a deal worth £50 million, for a sum equalling the amount that Paris Saint-Germain paid for David Luiz in 2014 and also the amount City paid out for John Stones last summer. Pep Guardiola has been after a right back this summer after releasing Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna at the end of last season and had previously been interested in bringing in Dani Alves. Betting on the experienced Brazilian joining City was even suspended after he left Juventus on a free but Alves instead opted to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Walker was last year named in the PFA Team of the year for the second season running and featured 39 times in all competitions as Spurs finished runners-up to Chelsea in the league and reached the semi-final's of the FA Cup. However there were suggestions towards the end of the campaign that he had fallen out with Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino. This saw Kieran Trippier replace him in the starting line-up and with the former Burnley man proving a capable replacement, Spurs were clearly happy to allow Walker to leave for such a fee.

The former Sheffield United man will become City's third signing this summer after Bernardo Silva from Monaco and Benfica goalkeeper Ederson Moraes. The signing of Walker will take City's summer spending to around the £120 million mark and there is little to suggest they will stop there. Guardiola still wants to bring in a left sided full-back with Monaco's Benjamin Mendy apparently their number one target. The speculation surrounding a move for Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez also refuses to go away...

With City splashing the cash to land Walker, what kind of money is the 27-year-old going to be on at the Etihad? Walker will see an improvement on his current terms of £70,000 and can expect to earn around the £120,000 per week mark. This would see him in-line with fellow City defenders Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany.

Sanchez future still in doubt

Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez continues to be linked with a move away from the Emirates with Manchester City reportedly keen on bringing the Chilean north. Arsene Wenger has stated during pre-season that he does not expect the 28-year-old to leave but with just one year remaining on his contract, Sanchez could walk away for free at the end of the next campaign if he does not agree a new deal this summer. Manchester City are known to admire Sanchez with Pep Guardiola having signed him for Barcelona during his spell at the Nou Camp.

Despite Arsene Wenger stating to the contrary, the bookmakers are clearly edging more towards the thought that Sanchez could depart this summer. Whilst Bayern Munich have also been linked with a move, it does appear as though Man City are in the driving seat. Across the board with the bookies, Sanchez is odds-on to make the move to Manchester City. In the bookies mind, it's clear that this move has real potential despite Wenger's claims. We have seen the Arsenal boss say similar things in the past however, related to the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie who both ultimately ended up leaving the club.

The issue for Arsenal lies in no wanting to sell Sanchez to a Premier League rival, something that would surely rile the Arsenal fanbase. However now that Wenger has brought in Alexandre Lacazette, could a new sense of ambition at the Emirates tempt Sanchez to stay? With no Champions League football for Arsenal this season, the club are not in a great position to keep hold of their star asset and they are also currently some way apart in their desired wages. At present Sanchez earns around £130,000 a week which whilst not exactly peanuts, is some way short of some of the highest earners on our salary guide. It's believed that in order to stay in North London, he would want a wage akin to around the £300,000 per week mark which would be amongst the very top earners the division has to offer.

The Gunners are currently in Australia for the start of their pre-season tour with Sanchez on extended leave following his exploits for Chile as this summer's Confederations Cup. Reports in Chile have suggested that Sanchez has signalled his intentions to play in the Champions League next season and wants the City move so this one is definitely a transfer to keep an eye on.

Manchester United seal Lukaku deal

There has been a major shock in transfer market with Manchester United pulling off the signing of Romelu Lukaku from under the noses of Chelsea. Lukaku had been expected to return to Stamford Bridge this summer with virtually of the bookmakers pricing the move odds-on and some even suspending the betting. However the Belgian international frontman has now completed a £75 million switch to Old Trafford.

The deal is also likely to include £15 million in add-ons with Wayne Rooney moving in the opposite direction, making it the biggest Premier League deal of the summer by far. Jose Mourinho has re-signed the striker he sold whilst he was Chelsea boss and he has been after a striker all-summer after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's departure. United themselves had been odds-on to sign Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata but after protracted negotiations, it now looks as though United will instead land Lukaku. The deal will likely see the 24-year-old earn up to £250,000 per week at Old Trafford which would put him amongst the very top earners not only in the North-West but the Premier League as a whole.

So for a fee of over £75 million and wages of £250,000 per week, what exactly are the Red Devils getting for this considerable outlay? Well since he moved to Everton initially on-loan in 2013, Lukaku has notched 68 league goals. In that time period, only Manchester City's Sergio Aguero (86) and Spurs' Harry Kane (78) have scored more. Last season he scored 25 times in the Premier League and Mourinho will be hoping that he can fill the void left by Ibrahimovic after the Swede hit 26 in all competitions.

The odds all suggested that Lukaku was going back to Chelsea and the Blues could yet still look to secure a deal but it's United who are now firmly in the driving seat. These developments will come as a huge disappointment to Antonio Conte who saw Lukaku as his top summer target and the Italian is believed to be immensely frustrated at his club's movement in the transfer window so far. As it transpires, Chelsea are now the favourites with Ladbrokes to secure the signing of Alvaro Morata.

Trending Summer Transfers

Football fans at this time of year are a strange breed. Whilst some may fill the football-shaped void by watching Wimbledon or the cricket, many will obsess over Twitter and any players' name who trends. Others will stalk Instagram in the hope that their club's reported transfer targets like a picture related to their club. It's all very strange behaviour but what do you expect the afficionados of the beautiful game to do in this barren spell?

Well luckily for fans, Ladbrokes have priced up the odds on some players that have trended on Twitter making moves this summer.

Diego Costa to leave Chelsea - 1/5

The Brazilian-born Spain international appears to have a fraught relationship with Antonio Conte and despite playing a key part in Chelsea's title success last season, Costa's days at Stamford Bridge look numbered. They have been strongly linked with a move for Romelu Lukaku and the signing of the Belgian would almost certainly signal Costa's departure. He wants to return to his former side Atletico Madrid but they have received a transfer ban from FIFA meaning that if he were to head back there, he'd be unable to play until January. A lucrative move to China has also been touted but despite the transfer ban, a return to the Spanish capital still looks likely.

Alex Sandro to Chelsea - 1/3

Antonio Conte wants to strengthen his Chelsea squad ahead of their return to the Champions League and he has been strongly linked with raiding his former club Juventus for Alex Sandro. The Brazilian left-back would provide competition for Marcos Alonso though he would not come cheap with some reports suggesting he will cost a world-record fee for a defender in the region of £61 million. It seems an awful lot of money for a left-back, especially considering how well Alonso did down that flank last season but the short priced odds suggest this one is very likely.

Naby Keita to Liverpool - 1/3

Keita was one of the star's of the Red Bull Leipzig side that defied expectations to finish second in their debut Bundesliga campaign. An all-action central midfield player, the 22-year-old scored eight goals last season and Jurgen Klopp is keen to bring him to Merseyside. Liverpool have already broken their transfer record once this summer to sign Mohamed Salah from Roma and any fee for Keita would likely eclipse that. Leipzig do not want to sell as they prepare for life in the Champions League and have apparently slapped a £70 million price-tag on the Guinean international. This does not appear to have deterred Liverpool and he remains odds-on to make the move to Anfield.

Alexis Sanchez to leave Arsenal - 4/5

With just one year remaining on his deal at the Emirates, Alexis Sanchez would be free to leave the club next summer for free. Negotiations over a new contract appear to have stalled and the Chilean international has many suitors throughout Europe. Manchester City would love to take him North although Arsenal wouldn't want to do business with a Premier League rival. Bayern Munich are perhaps his most likely destination with Carlo Ancelotti speaking fondly of the player and his good friend Arturo Vidal already at the Allianz Arena. Will Sanchez stay at Arsenal with no Champions League football? Ladbrokes clearly don't fancy it.

Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid - 11/10

All the top European clubs are sniffing around the young Monaco starlet and Real Madrid look best placed for his signature. After firing the club from the principality to the French league title last season, the 18-year-old is now the hottest prospect in World football. He looks to have all the attributes to go on and be one of the very best in the game so it's only natural that Real would retain an interest. Given his tender age and Monaco's reluctance to sell, there is no guarantee he would leave this summer but if he does then a move to the Spanish capital looks more likely than anywhere else.

Arsenal break their transfer record

After missing out on the lucrative Champions League spots for the first time during his reign in North London, Arsene Wenger has sought to spend big in order to take the Gunners back to a spot amongst the European elite. Arsenal have smashed their transfer record to recruit Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette for a free reported to be in the region of £52 million. The 26-year-old is the club's second signing of the summer after Sead Kolasinac who joined from Schalke but that deal has been completely over-shadowed by the mega-money Lacazette deal.

So what are Arsenal getting for this considerable sum? Well having scored 91 goals for Lyon in the last three seasons, it's safe to say Lacazette knows how to find the back of the net and the Gunners fans' will relish the idea of someone other than Olivier Giroud or Danny Welbeck leading the line. Where will he fit in with regards to our salary guide? Lacazette's wage is likely to be on par with the club's top earners, though that could all change depending on the outcome of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil's contract renewals. The pair are both out of contract next summer and are reportedly seeking improvements on their current deals, worth £130,000 and £140,000 per week respectively, with speculation suggesting they are after something more akin to the £300,000 per week mark.

Another name that is reportedly of interest to the Gunners is Kylian Mbappe, who's future we have discussed in greater detail further down this page. The young French starlet is one of the most in-demand players in Europe this summer with virtually every top-side (if you can call Arsenal that..) linked with his signature. Arsene Wenger is a known admirer of the 18-year-old but he'd be required to stump up a serious amount of money to bring him to North London. The rumours in France suggest that PSG are willing to pay over £100 million to bring Mbappe to the French capital though Real Madrid remain favourites. With the Lacazette deal looking close to completion, it would be a major shock if Wenger went and blew another fortune on Mbappe.

Thomas Lemar, another French attacking player, is a reputed target with L'Equipe suggesting the Gunners have made a bid of over £30 million whilst Arsenal are also the favourites to sign Leicester's Riyad Mahrez.

Could Mbappe be this summer's mega-money deal?

Any deal involving Monaco's young striker Kylian Mbappe could potentially be the biggest deal of the summer transfer window. The 18-year-old forward is in high demand after his 26 goals in all competitions last season helped Monaco to the French title and establish himself as one of Europe's hottest properties. Virtually every major club across Europe have been credited in having an interest in the youngster though it is believed that Real Madrid are leading the way for his signature.

A number of Premier League club's have been touted as possible suitors with both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal all being linked in recent weeks. Monaco are keen to retain the services of their hottest prospect and are unlikely to be willing to sell. There has been suggestions that the French champions would demand a World record fee in excess of £100 million. With such a mammoth fee likely to be commanded, only a clutch of clubs could possibly afford Mbappe and even fewer would be willing to shell out that amount on one player, never mind an 18-year-old.

Monaco have signalled their intent to keep Mbappe with reports suggesting they are prepared to up his current wages of £15,000 per week to a staggering £140,000. With time on his side and having only one full season of senior football under his belt, it would be surprising if at 18-years-old Mbappe would be determined to leave Monaco in a hurry. The club themselves know that if he were to have another season in which Mbappe scores 20-plus goals, his value would sore.

Looking at the odds in the Kylian Mbappe club after the summer transfer window market, it looks as though it will be either Real Madrid or Monaco. Both options are found at 6/4 with Skybet though you can get best odds of the Real Madrid move at 2/1 with BetVictor. It looks unlikely at present that a move to the Premier League is next on the agenda for Mbappe, with Arsenal the best priced at 4/1. However given the figures being mentioned, if he were to arrive on these shores he would certainly enter our salary guide towards the upper echelons.

Lewandowkski puts Premier League giants on red alert

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski could be in line for a move to the Premier League this summer, with both Chelsea and Manchester United believed to be interested in securing his services. The Polish international is reportedly unsettled at the German champions, after he believed he suffered a lack of support from his team-mates in his pursuit of the golden boot last season. He scored 30 league goals but was upsurped by Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who ended the season with 31. With speculation that Lewandowski is unhappy at the Allianz Arena, reports have followed that both Chelsea and Manchester United have already held preliminary with the forward's representatives.

There is sure to be an awful lot of activity involving those two sides this summer and now the potential availability of Lewandowski, one of the World's leading strikers, could see them go head-to-head for his signature. Chelsea are believed to be in the market for a new striker with Diego Costa facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge. The 28-year-old said that he has been informed by Antonio Conte that he does not feature in the Italian's plans for next season and is free to leave the Premier League champions. With Conte seemingly happy for Costa to move on, it would seem he has another transfer target in mind to lead the Blues frontline next season. Many had expected Romelu Lukaku to make the big money move back to Stamford Bridge after the Everton striker going on record that he had reached an agreement with another club. Now whilst there has been no confirmation, it was widely expected that club was Chelsea and the bookies still believe this to be the case. Skybet currently have it as odds-on that Lukaku will return to Chelsea this summer but could the Blues now pull out of the deal and switch their attention to Lewandowski instead?

Manchester United are also definitely in the market for a new striker this summer and were previously interested in bringing Lewandowski to the club whilst Sir Alex Ferguson was still in charge. Jose Mourinho's men are seemingly always linked with every big name superstar on the planet so it's little surprise to see that they are being touted as potential suitors for the Poland captain. If he were to come to the Premier League, it would be a quite extraordinary signing for either side given his record for Bayern Munich and previously Borussia Dortmund. With 157 goals in his 227 Bundesliga appearances, he would almost guarantee goals but he would likely come with a hefty price tag. Lewandowski only signed a new five year deal in December of last year so the Bavarians would be under no real pressure to sell.

Lewandowski falls in to the bracket of one of the very best players on the planet and any potential Premier League move would see him become one of the division's highest paid players. Wayne Rooney is currently at the top of our salary guide on weekly wages of £300,000 per week.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Is the World's highest earning footballer on the move?

Cristiano Ronaldo needs no introduction. Even if you have little to no interest in football, you will no exactly who the Portuguese mega-star is. One of the sports all-time greats, he alongside Lionel Messi have redefined the standards over the past decade or so and even at the age of 32-years-old he would walk in to any team on the planet. After helping Real Madrid become the first club to successfully defend the Champions League in the modern-era, there is strong speculation this week that his time in the Spanish capital could be up. With the Spanish authorities accusing him of tax fraud, the player has reportedly signalled his intentions to leave the Bernabeu and if he were to do so, it would undoubtedly be the biggest transfer of the summer and perhaps all-time.

Paul Pogba's transfer to Manchester United last summer broke the World record for any player at an enormous £89 million. With wages at an estimated £275,000 per week, the Frenchman's move back to Old Trafford saw some staggering numbers involved as he went right towards the top of our salary guide. Now there are suggestions that United could be set to spend big once again in order to bring another former player back to the club. During his time at Old Trafford, Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 as under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, he established himself as one of the best players on the planet. If he were to leave Real, his former club are expected to be one of the frontrunners for his signature and William Hill have him priced as short as 7/4 to be wearing the red shirt once again next season.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic's injury and subsequent departure and Antoine Griezmann opting to remain with Atletico Madrid, Manchester United are certainly in the market for a big-name forward. It was thought that Ronaldo's Real teammate Alvaro Morata had been one of their key targets and that is a move that could definitely still happen but with Ronaldo now possibly available, he could become their new number one target. The Portugal captain has always retained a soft spot for his former club even after departing and according to Sky Sports sources, he would be interested in a return this summer. It's a story that will have Manchester United fans excited but also one that is met with cynicism. The sort of money that would be involved for a player over the age of 30 would be astonishing and there is also the chance that Ronaldo may just be using the situation to get a better deal with Real. He also reportedly fell out with Jose Mourinho managed him at the Bernabeu and there are suggestions that Manchester United are wary of being drawn in to a lengthy transfer saga.

Ronaldo only signed a new deal with the Spanish giants in November, which saw him agree a deal worth £45 million per season. Any deal bringing Ronaldo back would certainly see him shoot to the top of our salar guide, given his current wages are estimated at around the £384,000 per week mark.

There is of course no guarantee that Ronaldo will leave Real or indeed whether or not he would be head back to United. Paris Saint-Germain have been long term admirers of the Portugal legend and would also be able to offer the same riches as United. They are looking for a marquee name after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to Manchester United last summer and will look to strengthen having missed out on the French league title to Monaco. A move to PSG for Ronaldo come the end of the summer window is 7/1 with bet365.

Despite Ronaldo's unhapiness at the situation related to his tax affairs, him remaining with Real is still a distinct possibility. It certainly what the bookmakers expect anyway, with both bet365 and Skybet pricing it at odds-on that he will still be in Madrid after the summer transfer window. Whatever happens, this story is sure to get a fair share of the newspaper columns over the next weeks and months, so watch this space!

Everton Begin Spending Spree

Ronald Koeman has wasted no time in splashing the cash this summer with two new big-money recruits already through the door at Goodison Park. England Under-21 goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was the club's first summer signing as he joined for an initial £25 million, which could rise to club record £30 million. Pickford excelled in a Sunderland side that endured a dismal campaign last season and it was always likely that he would move on after the Black Cats were relegated to the Championship. The move makes the 23-year-old the third most expensive goalkeeper of all-time after Gianluigi Buffon and Ederson, who joined Manchester City for a fee of £35 million from Benfica earlier this summer.

Pickford has been joined at Everton by former Ajax captain Davy Klaassen, for a fee believed to be in the region of £23.6 million. The 24-year-old Dutch midfielder scored 49 times in 163 appearances for the Amsterdam giants and his arrival will raise further question marks over the future of Ross Barkley. 23-year-old Barkley has so far failed to agree a new contract with the Blues and Ronald Koeman has already publicly stated that he will be sold if he does not agree a new deal.

Everton are clearly looking to build on their seventh placed Premier League finish last season and these two signings are likely to be just the start of some major restructuring of the Toffees squad. Koeman did well last season with a relatively small squad and gave a number of talented youngsters first-team opportunities. However if the Blues are to improve on last season and with the added games that come with the Europa League, they have to strengthen.

Director of football Steve Walsh has been in Milan where it is believed he has been in discussion with both AC and Inter Milan over new players. With the red side of the city, Walsh was believed to be in dialogue over potential moves for forwards Carlos Bacca, M'Baye Niang and Gianluca Lapadula and with Inter for midfielders Ever Banega and Marcelo Brozovic and also Colombian centre back Jeison Murillo. With Romelu Lukaku looking likely to be one of the players through the exit door at Goodison, a new striker will be required to fill the void left by the prolific Belgian. Lukaku is odds-on with Sky Bet to make the move back to his former club Chelsea but that deal it appears to depend on whether the Premier League champions can offload Diego Costa. Moves involving Costa and Lukaku could have a domino effect and their will certainly be some shifts in our salary guide. Lukaku will likely rival pretty much all comers in the highest paid forward section and should he depart Everton, the Blues may turn to Wayne Rooney.

As a teenager Rooney revealed a shirt during a match on which he declared his loyalty to Everton but not long after he was on his way to Manchester United. He has not let club or country down and has now broken Bobby Charlton’s scoring records for United and England. A move back to Everton would be more than a series of testimonials as Rooney still has something to offer for a Premier League club. However, Everton can afford to shop at the higher end of the market and could have money to spend raised from the sale of Lukaku. If Rooney moves back he will be the highest earner at the club but would he still be the highest paid forward in the North West? He currently tops the list with his salary of £300,000, though the average for forwards in the region is £97,200.

Whilst Everton have already made strides in to the transfer market, they still have some way to go if they are to match up to Manchester City. Pep Guardiola is obviously keen to add to his squad after a disappointing season last time out and the pressure will be on him to oversee an upturn in fortunes this time around. City have already brought in Bernardo Silva from Monaco for over £50 million as well as goalkeeper Ederson who we previously mentioned. With close to £90 million spent already on just two players, City are sure to bring in plenty more big names this summer and most of them will feature on the salary guide given the Blue's enormous financial resources.

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